It is one of the most poignant moments in a British royal wedding: the moment the bride’s bouquet is placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey.
Its origin dates back to 23 April 1923, with the wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior was dedicated on 11 November 1920, and King George V wrote about the ceremony in his diary: “I with the three boys received the body at the Cenotaph, which had been brought from France yesterday; the funeral procession came from Victoria station. At 11.0. I unveiled the Cenotaph & then followed two minutes silence throughout the whole Empire. The whole ceremony was most moving & impressive. I then followed the gun carriage on foot to Westminster Abbey where the burial took place, the grave was filled in with soil brought from France.”
Before she became a beloved member of the Royal Family, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was a Scottish noble with brothers serving overseas. One of whom was Captain The Honourable Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who was killed in 1915 during the Battle of Loos and buried in France.
As a way to honour her late brother and all who had served in the First World War, Lady Elizabeth laid her wedding bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior before she made her way up the aisle to her future husband. As such, The Queen Mother would be the only royal bride not to carry a bouquet. Subsequent royal brides have all sent their bouquets to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior after their wedding.
The poignant moment sparked a royal wedding tradition, despite no photographs existing of the moment (read more about that here). The Queen Mother’s bouquet is reported to have contained white roses or heather, and her floral crown—worn in lieu of a tiara—contained white roses and orange blossoms.
In 1947, then-Princess Elizabeth continued her mother’s tradition of leaving her wedding bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
But the future queen put her own spin on the tradition: instead of dropping off her bouquet on her way up the aisle, she had it delivered to Westminster Abbey after the ceremony. Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding bouquet contained white orchids and a sprig of myrtle.
In subsequent years, nearly all royal brides have sent their bouquets to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior: The Princess Royal’s was laid there in 1973 (Anne’s bouquet consisted of white roses, lilies of the valley, stephanotis and a sprig of myrtle); the current Duchess of Edinburgh’s in 1999 (Sophie’s bouquet consisted of garden roses, stephanotis, freesias, lilies of the valley and a sprig of myrtle); the current Princess of Wales’s in 2011 (Catherine’s bouquet consisted of Sweet Williams, lilies of the valley, hyacinth, ivy, and a spring of myrtle); the Duchess of Sussex’s in 2018 (Meghan’s bouquet consisted of forget-me-nots, lilies of the valley, jasmine, astilbe, and a sprig of myrtle); Princess Eugenie in 2018 (her bouquet consisted of lilies of the valley, baby blue thistles, stephanotis, spray roses and a sprig of myrtle); and Princess Beatrice in 2020 (her bouquet consisted of pink garden roses, pink wax flowers, baby pink astilbe, pale pink and cream sweet peas, trailing jasmine, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, and a spring of myrtle). The late Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sarah, Duchess of York, also laid their bouquets there as well.
In 2023, Queen Camilla asked for her coronation bouquet to be laid on the Tomb as a mark of respect.
